Asamankese, Sept.17, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, the Eastern Regional Minster, on Monday urged district assemblies to step up measures to retrieve Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) loans from defaulters.

He said the fund, which was made available by government as a credit facility to boost capital base of small-scale traders, must not be a gift to the beneficiaries.

Mr Asiedu said he was not happy about the huge amounts of such monies owed by defaulters and that bold steps should be taken to bring defaulters to book.

Addressing the third ordinary meeting of the West Akyem District Assembly at Asamankese, he said in the "same manner as people demand probity and accountability from politicians and other office holders, it is prudent that we demand same from the defaulters of the fund". Citing the west Akyem District where 160 persons are indebted to the fund to the tune of 57 million cedis, he wondered if the PAF could achieve its purpose of alleviating poverty since the few beneficiaries had refused to pay to enable others to also benefit. Mr Asiedu expressed satisfaction with the work of the assemblies and urged them to focus their attention on the objectives of the three major areas set out by government for the total development of the country.

He said benefits of the private sector development, human resource development and good governance, which were the thematic areas to the people in the districts could not be overemphasized hence the need to focus on them.

Mr Asiedu advised all assembly members to desist from personalizing and politicising projects meant for the well being of the people, if the decentralization process was to succeed.

He later inspected projects in the district and called on the chief of Asamankese, Nana Kwaku Amoah III.

The Member of Parliament for Upper West Akyem, Mr Sallas Mensah, told the assembly members that the minority parties were opposed to the money-laundering bill because such a move could cut down capital inflows into the country.

He said although money laundering was becoming a global threat, a country like Ghana who was now developing stood the chance of losing with that law and urged the assembly members to be abreast with the times.